1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of surface based computing and, more particularly, to returning passed objects in a surface based computing environment using a virtual bungee.
2. Description of the Related Art
Surface based computing devices are a type of computing device in which a display is laid flat to simulate a table top. Surface based computing devices employ the use of a multi-touch sensitive display to interact with the user. Because of the nature of a surface based computing device's display, multiple users can interact with the computing device at once. Because the display provides multi-touch sensitivity, users can perform movements, such as gestures, on the display which are recognizable by the computing device to perform certain actions.
One such gesture can indicate that software objects displayed on the surface based computing device are to be passed from one user to another. One way of passing objects, for example, has been described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/868,766, entitled “Sending a Document for Display to a User of a Surface Computer” and filed Oct. 8, 2007. This application describes a “fling” gesture, where a user can press down on an object on the display and then move their finger in a direction in a quick motion. A fling motion can be used on a document on a surface-based computing device. This motion can move the document in the direction it is flung. Other ways of passing software objects also exist. There is currently no way to temporarily pass an object, such that an owner is able to retrieve a previously passed object or to establish parameters for controlling a return of an object that has been passed, which would be advantageous in many surface based computing situations.
One example of a prior art surface based computing device is illustrated in FIG. 1 (Prior Art), which shows display surface 105, computing device 110, display projector 115, and infrared projectors 120. Processing unit 110 can contain one or more central processing units able to perform computing actions for the surface based device 100. The processing unit 110 can include many of the same components found in everyday desktop computers, such a CPU, a motherboard, RAM, a graphics card, a WIFI transceiver, a BLUETOOTH transceiver, and the like.
The display surface 105 can be a horizontal surface that can incorporate multi-touch sensors. The touch-sensitive display can recognize objects by their shapes or by scanning tags (e.g., RFID tags) embedded in objects resting on the surface of display surface 105. The multi-touch display surface 105 can be capable of processing multiple inputs from multiple users.
Infrared projectors 120 can project infrared light onto display surface 105 to be used for multiple touch sensing by processing unit 110. A “machine vision” of the surface based computing device 100 can operate in a near-infrared spectrum, such as by using an 850 nanometer-Wavelength LED light source aimed at the display surface 105. When objects touch the tabletop, the light reflects back and is picked up by multiple infrared cameras with an acceptable net resolution.
The display projector 115 can use rear-projection technologies, such as Digital light Processing (DLP) technologies, to project visible images to the display surface 105. A resolution of the visible screen can be different from the machine vision or invisible screen. For example, the visible screen can have a resolution of 1024×768, while the invisible resolution from the projectors 120 can be 1280×960, which can allow for better recognition at the edges of the display.